Donald Trump's Ties to Cryptocurrency Projects

As the Trump administration changes its stance from the U.S. President's previous term and turns pro-crypto, several crypto companies with close ties to Trump and his aides have gained or set their sights on gaining from association.

The Trump administration's stance on cryptocurrency has shifted significantly from the previous administration's hostility to a surprising pro-crypto lean. This shift has led several crypto companies to try and capitalize on the administration's favor, setting their sights on gaining from the association.

As the administration faces backlash for its handling of the crypto market crash and attempts to intervene, several crypto projects and companies are engaging in endeavors to benefit during this period.

In this analysis, we delve into the Trump family's ties to crypto projects and highlight the top five crypto tokens that could perform well during the administration. We also unpack the controversy surrounding the president's crypto holdings and the role of his youngest son, Barron Trump.

The 45th president's interest in the crypto market has been a subject of interest among traders, especially given his actions since assuming office. From launching his own meme coin to investing in NFTs and showcasing his pro-crypto administration, Trump has kept the crypto community engaged.

On-chain intelligence tracker Arkham Intel identified a wallet linked to President Trump, and the crypto tokens held in the address align with Trump's disclosed financial interest when he was running for office in November 2024.

While Trump's involvement in Ethereum is evident, the timing and average price of his purchase remain unknown as the presidential candidate at the time was not required to disclose such information.

At the time of writing, the Arkham Intel wallet shows $1.437 million in crypto tokens, including meme coins and stablecoins, tokens like MATIC and WFI, and the president's share in the venture firm, Series One.

Trump's tryst with crypto isn't new; before his official meme coin TRUMP's launch, the president dropped an NFT collection, Official Trump Digital Trading Cards (TRUMP). In an interview, the U.S. president said he doesn't know much about the coin but that it is his official meme coin, garnering criticism from crypto analysts and experts.

Commenting on the tokenomics of TRUMP token, K33 analyst David Zimmerman said, "There’s no sugar-coating this - these tokenomics are horrendous for a meme-coin." The project's tokenomics data shows that 800 million TRUMP tokens, 80% of the total supply, are owned by Trump-controlled entities.

The entities are free to sell their holdings at various points over the next three years, starting in April. On average, Trump's companies can sell 24 million TRUMP tokens a month, and at the current prices, it amounts to $279.84 million of selling pressure a month, or $3.358 billion a year. This data keeps changing as TRUMP price fluctuates. At the time of writing, TRUMP is traded against 11.66 USDT.

TRUMP token ranks in the top 50 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization.

The Trump family members, including the First Lady Melania Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric and Barron Trump, also hold crypto tokens. While Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump's holdings are not clear from any on-chain wallet address tracker, the two hold crypto through World Liberty Financial.

In an interview, the U.S. president said his youngest son Barron Trump is the mind behind the World Liberty Financial project and holds crypto tokens in four different wallets. However, no primary sources have been identified to ascertain his holdings.

Melania Trump holds the meme coin MELANIA, which was launched by her incorporated company MKT World LLC, a firm that powers various ventures for the First Lady, including selling portraits of her during Trump's previous administration, according to a BBC report.

Details about the MELANIA token are limited, but the official website notes that the First Lady's team has reserved 35% of the token's supply, and this was locked for the first 30 days post-issuance.

Criticizing Trump and the First Lady, Grzegorz Drozdz, market analyst at investment firm Conotoxia, was quoted by the BBC: "The introduction of these coins during the presidential inauguration raises concerns about potential conflicts of interest and may undermine the dignity of the president and the first lady."

Norman Eisen, a former ethics adviser in the Obama administration told the Washington Post, "This may represent the single worst conflict of interest in the modern history of the presidency." Eisen believes that Trump's crypto ties mean that the president stands to gain personally from his pro-crypto administration and regulatory changes.

The top five tokens held by World Liberty Financial are Ethereum, staked Ether (stETH), Move (MOVE), Tron (TRX) and WhiteRock (WHITE), according to on-chain data from Arkham Intel.

The World Liberty Financial wallet reportedly holds over $77.8 million in crypto and their